Bristol City development ‘to scupper Portsmouth move for Atkinson’
Portsmouth’s move for Rob Atkinson may be scuppered by new developments at his club Bristol City.
Atkinson was on loan at Pompey at the back end of last season and played a key role as the club avoided relegation.
John Mousinho wants to resign him, and the defender himself has also voiced his desire to return to Fratton Park.
The move has always relied on whether Bristol City were willing to sell.
Bristol City hire new manager Gerhard Struber
The delay over a verdict on Atkinson’s transfer has mostly been caused by Bristol City losing their manager Liam Manning.
The Robins have not wanted to make any major transfer decisions until a new manager is hired.
Former Luton manager Rob Edwards was the bookies’ favourite to take over the hotseat at Ashton Gate, and that was thought to be advantageous to Pompey, since Edwards had a good relationship with sporting director Rich Hughes. The two had worked together at Forest Green Rovers.
However, Bristol City have gone a different direction, instead choosing to hire former FC Köln manager Gerhard Struber.
Struber won’t be too familiar with the Championship, so he’ll likely need some time with Atkinson before deciding whether to keep him in his squad for the upcoming season.
Pompey will need patience if they want to re-sign Atkinson
It’s not as if Pompey’s pursuit of Atkinson is dead in the water now. They’ll simply have to wait a little longer to get a verdict.
The protocol for new managers (especially those with little knowledge of their squad) is to spend as much time as possible with their players before making decisions over sales.
| Appearances | Minutes played | Goals | Assists |
| 14 | 1101 | 2 | 1 |
Rob Edwards would have been able to answer Portsmouth much quicker, given his knowledge of the league and his relationship with Hughes.
Now, if the deal does go through, it may be in the final days of the transfer window. Perhaps Portsmouth may even have to wait until January.
Either way, Mousinho and his recruitment team may now turn their attention to a ‘Plan B’, as they look to strengthen their options in the centre of defence.
They have most recently been linked with a move for American defender Jonathan Tomkinson.
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